World Cup finalists France are hoping to overturn two consecutive defeats when they meet Wales in the Six Nations in Cardiff, but the result is too close to call.

Both teams have the capacity to play electrfying running rugby one minute and crashingly awful dross the next.

It raises the prospect that the day could be decided purely by the mood of the players.

The mercurial French turned their Cup around with an awe-inspiring semi-final win over New Zealand, having shown dismal form in the group stage.

It was a phenomenal demonstration of their ability and passion, especially coming as it did off the back of the Five Nations wooden spoon.

Wales ensured France took that dubious honour by defeating them in Paris, then pipping England at Wembley.

Under New Zealand coach Graham Henry, they looked to have hit their stride with another win over France, this time at home, and a victory over then-world champions South Africa.

With expectation at fever pitch and 10 consecutive Test wins under their belts, the Welsh dream suddenly unravelled with defeat to Manu Samoa and expulsion from the World Cup they were hosting, courtesy of Australia.

Henry, ever the pragmatist, had played down his side's chances of Webb Ellis glory, but he knows better than to attempt the same in the bear pit of the Six Nations.

"Our goal for this tournament is to be better than we were last season. We need to move further up the graph," he said.

Consistency and continuity are Henry's watchwords, with the three changes to the team forced on him through injury.

Wales' solid backline, including largely untried Australian Jason Jones-Hughes at centre, lacks for the explosive pace of its opponents.

But the forwards will consider themselves the equals of anyone in the competition, despite the absence of Craig Quinnell at lock.

By contrast, the selection policy of new French coach Bernard Laporte was a rash of surprises, with World Cup captain Raphael Ibanez unceremoniously dumped and two locks featuring in a colossal back row.

In the second row, massive Samoan Legi Matiu will earn his first cap, despite the death of his baby daughter last week. He has insisted on his continued involvement to honour her memory.

"I don't want a scrum that's overly strong, but a solid and decent scrum," said the French coach.

"It's not a question of crushing our adversaries by spending all our force. But the scrum in modern rugby is the chance to start the best plays."

Elsewhere, one of the chief architects of France's back-to-back Grand Slams in 1997 and 1998, fly-half Thomas Castaignede, is selected out of position at fullback.

It has to be assumed that Laporte knows what he is doing. Nicknamed "The Kaiser" for his authoritarian style, he took Stade Francais through four consecutive divisions to the national championship in 1998 - an unprecedented feat.

Saturday promises a fascinating clash of styles and temperaments and, hopefully, an avalanche of points. Who is going to get buried is anybody's guess.

Teams

Wales: S Howarth (Newport); G Thomas (Cardiff), M Taylor (Swansea), J Jones-Hughes (Newport), D James (Llanelli); N Jenkins (Cardiff), R Howley (Cardiff); P Rogers (Newport), G Jenkins (Swansea), D Young (Cardiff, capt), I Gough (Pontypridd), C Wyatt (Llanelli), C Charvis (Swansea), B Sinkinson (Neath), S Quinnell (Llanelli).
Replacements: S Williams (Neath), S Jones (Llanelli), R Smith (Ebbw Vale), G Lewis (Pontypridd), M Voyle (Cardiff), S John (Cardiff), B Williams (Bristol).

France: T Castaignede (Castres); E Ntamack (Toulouse), T Lombard (Stade Francais), R Dourthe (Dax), C Dominici (Stade Francais); C Lamaison (Brive), F Galthie (Colomiers); C Califano (Toulouse), M Dal Maso (Colomiers), F Tournaire (Toulouse), L Matiu (Biarritz), O Brouzet (Begles-Bordeaux), A Benazzi (Agen), O Magne (Montferrand), F Pelous (Toulouse, capt).
Replacements: D Venditti (Brive), A Penaud (Toulouse), C Laussucq (Stade Francais), S Betsen (Biarritz), T Lievremont (Perpignan), P De Villiers (Stade Francais), R Ibanez (Perpignan)